Frontline: Death by Fire

Story by Colleen Greer

last updated October 17, 2010

Did Texas execute an innocent man? Several controversial death penalty cases are currently under examination in Texas and in other states, but it’s the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham — convicted for the arson deaths of his three young children — that’s now at the center of the national debate.

PHOTO: PBS

Frontline:Death by Fire-Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert became convinced of the now executed Willingham's innocence after corresponding with him and investigating the case herself.

With unique access to those closest to the case, FRONTLINE examines the Willingham conviction in light of new science that raises doubts about whether the fire at the center of the case was really arson at all. The film meticulously examines the evidence used to convict Willingham, provides an in-depth portrait of those most impacted by the case and explores the explosive implications of the execution of a possibly innocent man.

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